


Excuse Me?

by Roque



Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-15
Updated: 2014-04-10
Packaged: 2018-01-15 20:49:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1318726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roque/pseuds/Roque
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam on Atlantis fic. The team find a quantum mirror in a hidden room. They weren't expecting this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (Originally posted on ff.net between 6th May 2013 - 18th September 2013 under the pen name roque872002)

"Quit your moaning and bring that over here," Sheppard said as he placed a large heavy box on the floor. He knew he'd regret telling Colonel Carter that he was available to help move things around.

"I am not moaning," McKay argued as he placed his box on the floor by Sheppard's.

"Yes, you are. If you didn't want to do this, why are you here?"

"You made me!"

"Did not," Sheppard shot back.

"Did too."

"Rodney!" Sheppard could feel his patience wearing thin. He hadn't realised how much stuff was needing to be moved. He had ample help in the form of the two male members of his team and a group of five other men, but it wasn't helping his rapidly souring mood.

It was his first day off in far too long and he had offered to help move things around. He was going to ask Keller to look at his head. He was starting to think he had hit it badly on his last mission.

Sheppard glanced at McKay. "You're trying to impress her aren't you?"

"Who?"

"Colonel Carter," he folder his arms over his chest and smirked at his friend.

"No."

"You are! You're blushing. You're doing this so she'll notice!"

"I'm with Katie, remember?" McKay argued.

"So? We all know about your unrequited lust," Sheppard teased as Ronon walked into the room and over to them.

"Over it," McKay narrowed his eyes at his friend as he turned around and walked out of the room to get another box.

"He still likes her," Ronon said knowingly as Sheppard laughed.

"Yeah, well, it's not like she's bad to look at," he said as he unfolded his arms and began walking out of the room. Suddenly, he stopped, and glanced over to the wall. He was sure he had seen something shine.

"What?" Ronon asked, following his line of sight.

"I thought I saw something," he explained as he walked over to the wall and placed his hand on it. He skimmed the wall with his hand and sharply pulled it back when a panel appeared. "Whoa."

"Another room?" Ronon asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Could be," he answered before he tapped his earpiece. "Colonel Carter? Come in please."

"Yes, let me do all the work," McKay said irritably as he walked back into the room and placed his box on the floor.

"Sheppard found a hidden panel," Ronon explained as Sheppard help up his hand to silence his friends.

"Yes, John?" Sam's voice said into his ear.

"We've found a hidden panel in the new storage room. I'm guessing for a hidden room. Want us to check it out?"

"Be careful," she said.

"Here it goes," he said as he swiped his hand over the console.

A panel of the wall slid easily to one side. The room inside was dark. Sheppard shrugged and stepped over the threshold, the second he was in the room the lights came on. He looked around the room as he heard his friends walk to his side.

The room was empty, except for a large mirror that gave no reflection.

Sheppard tapped his earpiece again. "Uh, Colonel, you might want to come see this," he said.

"I'm on my way," came Sam's reply.

SJ

"What have we got?" she asked as she entered the hidden room, coming to an abrupt halt when she spotted the mirror. "Oh no."

"You know what it is?" Ronon asked.

"Unfortunately," she nodded. "It's a quantum mirror. It allows you to travel to alternate realities. We've encountered far too many of those."

"I'm getting a headache already," Ronon said as he pinched his nose.

"Is there a control for it?" she asked as she walked towards it.

"We haven't been any closer to it than what we are now," Sheppard replied.

"Good," she nodded as she walked around the mirror, bending down to pick up the control that was behind it. "No one touches this. Understand? Nothing good can come out of this."

"No touching. Got it," Sheppard nodded as Sam walked back to the line of three men. "What exactly does it do?"

"In the first year of the Stargate program, Daniel found a mirror off world. He touched it. He got sent to another reality. One that was being destroyed by the Goa'uld. He managed to get back in time to warn us of the attack and we were able to stop it. In the third year of the program, an alternate version of myself and Major Kawalsky came through. Their reality was being destroyed. We helped save it.

"Two of the same person can't be in the same reality without severe consequences. My counterpart went through seizures until she was back in her own reality. General Hammond ordered it destroyed, but we learned pretty quickly that it couldn't be destroyed. The one on Earth has a cover stone on it so it can't be used."

"Got a migraine," Ronon winced.

"This control is getting put into secure storage. This room is to be locked and never used again. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Sheppard and McKay said at the same time.

"You were awfully quiet during that," Sheppard nudged McKay after Sam had left.

"Shut up," McKay said as he stepped out of the room behind Ronon.

Sheppard swiped his hand over the console and watched as the door to the hidden room closed and the console disappeared.

**EXCUSE ME?**

The whole place was being destroyed. Parts of the city was falling all around him. He heard a wall crumble behind him. Flashes of blue almost blinded him as the power short circuited. He held up his hand to shield his eyes.

He could hear the Wraith darts outside. He could hear the explosions as they attacked the city he had started to call home. He knew he hadn't managed to shake the Wraith from his path. He knew they were still following him.

His lungs burned as he ran deeper into the city. He knew he would be lucky to survive. His legs ached as they carried him even faster towards his destination.

The Wraith were right behind him. He pushed himself to run faster. The walls of the city spat rubble at him as they shot at him and missed. He felt one shot buzz past his ear. Too close. He had to get away.

He wiped his face. Blood from his cut forehead ran freely down his face. His legs were about to give out. He could barely breathe. He threw his gun to the ground. He ran out of ammo a while ago.

Blood pounded in his ears. Sweat and blood ran into his eyes. He could hardly see. He had to keep going. He couldn't be captured. He had to survive.

He ran to the one room where the Wraith wouldn't find him. He skidded to a halt in front of the wall. He felt panic rise in his chest as the swiped his bloodied hand over the wall and the console failed to appear.

The Wraith were only seconds away from his position. Fear washed over him. Finally the console appeared and he swiped his hand over it. The wall slid back and he entered the room, sealing it behind him.

He pressed his back against the wall and heaved a sigh as he heard the Wraith pass by him. He was glad the room was sound and light proof. He was safe. For the time being. He was in the Ancient's version of a panic room.

He crawled over to the mirror and reached behind it. He thanked whatever God was out there that the control had not been moved.

He spent a few minutes catching his breath as he lay on the floor, mentally taking note of his injuries. He was sore and exhausted from running, but apart from the cut on his forehead and a possibly dislocated shoulder he was fine.

He knew that his shoulder was dislocated, but he had yet to feel the pain. He added being in shock to his mental list of injuries.

He activated the mirror and glanced at the reality on the other side. It was dark, but it looked safe. But he wouldn't know until he was on the other side. He had to take the chance. Anywhere, any reality, was better than the one he was already in.

He stood up on his shaky legs and touched the mirror. The small electrical current that passed through his body as he travelled from one reality to another sent him to his already weak knees.

He managed to shut off the mirror before falling unconscious.

**EXCUSE ME?**

He had no idea how long he had been out when he woke up. All he knew was that he was alone. Safe. And the pain from his dislocated shoulder was making itself known.

He groaned as he sat up and held his arm as close to his body as he could. He had to pop the joint back in. But he had nothing to help him do it.

He unsteadily got to his feet and walked over to the wall. He swiped his hand over the console and pressed his back against the wall as the door opened. He couldn't let anyone see him.

He glanced outside. It was clear. He was glad that the city was intact.

As quietly as he could, he left the room, closing the door behind him, the control awkwardly in his hand.

He knew he had to get to the infirmary. Sooner rather than later. But he had to find the base commander and inform her of the situation.

He looked out of a window as he made his way to the base commanders quarters. It was well into the night. He knew that she would most likely be sleeping. Normally he wouldn't wake her. But he was no longer in his own reality. 'Normally' no longer applied.

He was glad that he didn't run into anyone on his way to his destination. That would be the last thing he needed.

He knew that the base commander was the best person to talk to first. Despite the city being quiet and not having met a single person on his journey thus far, he kept himself hidden.

His shoulder was extremely painful. He bit his lip to stop him from crying out from the jostling he was giving it with every step he took. He could taste blood. But he couldn't decide if it was from his lip or his forehead.

He finally made it to her quarters and swiped his hand over the pad. He waited, impatiently and painfully for her to answer. After a minute he swiped again. He was about to swipe a third time when the door slid open.

He wasn't expecting the woman who stood before him.

She stood there, her long blonde hair tied up in a braid, slightly mussed from sleep. Her blue eyes were tired and annoyed at having been woken up. She wore a too large plaid shirt that fell half way down her thighs, the sleeves just covering her fingers.

Her long legs were bare, as were here feet. He watched as her eyes focused on him. Her eyes softened when she saw that he was injured.

He stared at her in disbelief. He shook his head and closed his eyes. He opened them again and saw that she was still standing in front of him.

"Mom?" he asked, his jaw hanging slack.


	2. Chapter 2

"Excuse me?" she asked, taken aback and wakening instantly.

He watched the tiredness leave her face. He looked at her through pain filled and confused eyes. Did she really have no idea who he was?

He felt the world tilt. He saw her through blurred eyes. She was moving towards him, her arms outstretched as if to grab him.

It registered somewhere in the back of his mind that it was cold beneath him. He saw her run back into her quarters through the ever increasing number of black spots. He briefly wondered where she was going.

He didn't have time to ponder what was going on before she was back at his side, her fingers on his neck checking his pulse. He tried to smile through the mist in his brain. He hadn't realised how much he had missed her since arriving on Atlantis those three months before.

She was his mother. She cared for him. Looked after him. Helped him in any way she could. Whether it be with his homework or talking to girls. She had taken him under her wing and helped make him the man he was. The strong and intelligent soldier that his father was beyond proud of.

"This is Colonel Carter, I need a medical team to my quarters, now!" she said into the earpiece.

Carter? he thought as he gave into the darkness.

**EXCUSE ME?**

Sam examined the bloody and beaten young man on the floor just outside of her quarters. She knelt on the floor by his side, checking his pulse again before checking him for other injuries. She hadn't failed to notice him holding his arm close to his body. She could tell by looking at him, that his shoulder was dislocated.

She had just finished giving him a quick once over when the medical team arrived.

"Colonel?" Keller asked as she came to a stand still by the two people on the floor.

"He has a dislocated shoulder, a cut on his forehead and a split lip from what I can tell," she said as she stood up, the medical team moving into place around the stranger. They carefully placed him on the gurney and wheeled him away.

"Are you alright?" Keller asked her, seeing the haunted look on her face. "Did he hurt you?"

Sam shook her head. "He rang the bell, woke me up. He called me mom."

"You don't know who he is, do you?"

"No, I don't," she shook her head. "I'll meet you in the infirmary. I want the room secured. Until we find out who he is and what's he's doing here, I'm not taking any chances. I'll call security."

"Yes Colonel," Keller nodded and followed her team to the infirmary.

The security team were already in place by the time she got there.

**EXCUSE ME?**

"Has he woken up yet?" Sam asked as she entered the infirmary, dressed in her uniform.

"No he's still out cold. We've pushed his shoulder back in and cleaned him up as best we can for now," Keller explained as she watched the Ancient's scanner move over the motionless body on the table.

The two women stood and waited until the scanner completed its task. Keller looked at the screen as the machine stilled.

"No other broken bones, no internal bleeding, no nanites. He's okay."

"Still doesn't tell us who he is," Sam mused.

"I've got the blood work running," Keller said as she watched Sam cross her arms over her chest and stare intently at the young man.

He was a handsome young man, even while beaten. A large bruise was forming around the cut on his head, but even that couldn't diminish his boyish good looks.

"Do you recognise him?" Keller asked.

"I don't think so," Sam shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Let me know when he wakes up. We need to find out how he got on the base."

Sam left the infirmary and walked down the long hall. Sheppard was walking towards her.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Uninvited guest. Human from what we can tell. Pretty beaten up," she explained as Sheppard nodded. "He thinks I'm his mother."

"What?" Sheppard's head snapped around to look at her.

"Yeah. I need you to organize search parties. Find out how he got into the city and where he came from. I'm going up to the control room to track things from there."

"Yes Colonel," Sheppard nodded and turned around, heading towards the armory.

**EXCUSE ME?**

"What have we got?" Sam asked as she entered the control room to find McKay already at one of the stations working on his laptop.

"Nothing yet. I'm looking through the city's database to find any anomaly's. So far everything is normal," he said as he quickly typed in commands.

"Let me know when you have something," she said as she walked over to her office, her hands in her hair.

Her mind filled with unanswered questions. Who was that young man? How did he get into the city? Was he even old enough to be a part of the Atlantis team? Was he even human? Where had he come from? And why had he called her mom?

Of all of the things he could have done or said to her, she hadn't expected that. Mom.

She sat down heavily in her chair and opened her laptop. She was going to look into things herself.

She was finding it hard to focus. She was far too tired to be dealing with something like this. She was convinced the galaxy didn't want her to have any time off. Just like when she was back in the Milky Way. Pegasus was proving just as stress-worthy.

"Stay focused Sam," she told herself as she felt her eyes begin to droop.

She couldn't remember the last time she had slept properly. It had been a busy few weeks and she was finally starting to get her bearings. Although she had been to Atlantis before, it was a big place and she didn't know her way around.

Sure, she knew how to get to the places she really needed to be, but she hasn't had the chance to explore the city properly. She was eager to learn the layout of the city like the back of her hand like she did the SGC.

A pang of home sickness struck her heart as she thought of all the people she had left behind.

Daniel, her fellow Geek In Arms as General O'Neill called them. Ever since they had first met on Abydos all those years ago, she had felt a strong connection to the slightly older man. He was just as passionate about his work as she was. They could relate to each other easily. Although it was far from the same thing, they had both lost their mothers at a young age. But Daniel had also lost his father on the same day.

Sam herself had lost her own mother while in her early teens. She shook her head. She wouldn't allow herself to think about that. She had other things to focus on.

Her thoughts turned to Teal'c. Her strong and silent companion. Her unlikely friend. Despite being a former enemy, they had a very strong friendship. They had went through so much together over the years and been by each others side for ten years, Sam couldn't begin to imagine her life without him. She smiled when she thought of how she could get him to hug her with just a single look. No one else could do that, with the exception of Cassie.

Cassie. She felt guilty for leaving the bright and ambitious young woman alone on Earth. She knew her three father figures would be there for her with a single phone call, but she wanted to be there too. Cassie understood, of course, but she had already lost two mothers in her short life, she didn't want to make it three.

Finally her thoughts rested on General O'Neill. Her once Commanding Officer. She shook her head. Jack. He was her husband now. She smiled at the thought. For everything other than work, she was Mrs O'Neill. Her smile soon faded. She missed him. She longed for him to hold her, to whisper things in her ear before they fell asleep.

It had taken them both awhile to get used to sharing a bed with someone else again. But they had. And now she felt lonely every night without someone there to hold her.

She sighed. Thinking about her life back home was not helping her solve the problem of who the young man was, or where he came from. Forcing herself to stay focused, she took a deep breath and examined the data in front of her.

She knew it was going to be a long night.

**EXCUSE ME?**

She had been sitting in her office for nearly two hours when McKay walked in. She had gotten nowhere. The security teams were still looking, but nothing had been disturbed or broken. There were no signs of forced entry. No evidence that he had been anywhere apart from outside of her quarters.

They had checked the atmosphere for clues and had, again, come up empty. He hadn't come by ship. He had apparently appeared out of thin air.

McKay sat himself down on the other side of her desk and passed her a mug of coffee.

"Thank you," she said softly before raising the mug to her lips and taking a long sip, letting the bitter liquid flow easily down her throat. "Anything yet?"

"Nothing. Maybe he did just appear from nowhere," he suggested as he shrugged, raising his mug to his mouth.

"Why here?" she asked as she put her mug down. "Why not on the mainland? Or another planet?"

"Didn't he call you mom?" he asked as he set down his own mug.

"How did you-?"

"Sheppard," he explained after cutting her off.

"Yes," she said, looking at her screen. "Yes he did."

"Maybe that's why he's here," he suggested.

"But he sounded surprised when he said it. Like he wasn't expecting it to be me."

"Colonel Carter?" Keller's voice said through the earpiece.

"Dr Keller?" she replied.

"He's awake. And he's asking for you," she said.

"I'll be right there," she said before tapping it off. "He's awake. It's time to get some answers." She stood up and walked out of her office, McKay two steps behind her.

**EXCUSE ME?**

He was sitting up on the bed when she walked in. He smiled brightly at her as she walked towards the side of his bed, keeping a careful distance.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you," he said happily. "I thought I was dreaming."

Sam shared a look with Keller, silently asking if the blood work was back yet. Keller shook her head no before glancing at her watch. She held up one hand and spread her fingers apart indicating another five minutes, hopefully.

"Who are you?" Sam asked him as he reached out to take her hand.

"Mom?" he asked, his hand stilling in mid air. "You're not being serious, are you?" he looked around the room and noticed the guards for the first time. "Mom, it's me. Charlie."


	3. Chapter 3

"Charlie?" she repeated, dumbfounded. Surely it couldn't be…

"Charlie," he said again, looking at her with a worried expression.

"As in?" she felt her throat tighten as she looked him in the eyes properly for the first time. Oh God… they were the same shade of brown…

"O'Neill," he said, drawing out his name. "What's going on?"

"How..? Where..?" she stammered trying to wrap her head around the information that had thrown her for a loop.

"I came through the mirror," he explained, looking around the room, suddenly very nervous. "I'm not part of the Atlantis team in this reality, am I?"

"No, you're not," she said softly. "Clear the room," she commanded to all the unnecessary staff, effectively leaving just the guards at the door and Keller in the corner awaiting the results.

"Mom?" he asked looking up at her. His eyes glinted with something that she didn't quite catch before he masked it. He was proving to be his father's son.

"Why did you come here?" she asked.

"My reality's Atlantis was being destroyed by the Wraith. They had the 'gate heavily guarded. I couldn't use that to get home. I couldn't get to the jumpers. The mirror was my best option. As far as I know, I was the only one left…. Mom? What's going to happen to me?"

"Why do you call me mom?" she asked as she pulled up a chair next to his bed, far enough away so that he couldn't touch her, but close enough to assure him that she was interested in what he had to say.

"Because you're my mother."

"I'm your mother?" she asked, trying to process the information.

"Not biologically," he said quietly, looking down at his hands. "But in every other sense of the word…"

Sam looked at the obviously upset young man sitting on the bed before her. He remained quiet for a while, lost in his own thoughts. She watched him fidget with the thin blanket covering his lower body. She couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face. He was so like Jack…

"My biological mother was killed in a car accident when I was five. We have that in common in my reality. Not the ages, just the situation. It helped create a bond between us early on. I went without a mother for three years before dad met you. He was seeing you for a little while before he brought you home to meet me. Dad says I instantly fell in love with you.

"I would follow you around the house and just stare at you. You were so beautiful. Still are. You would come around and stay for dinner, you would put me to bed, tuck me in and read me a story. Dad said I was too old for bedtime stories, but you loved reading them to me. And I loved spending time with you.

"I hated it when you weren't there. I didn't understand your relationship with dad to begin with. I just thought you were his friend. I woke up during the night from a nightmare one night. I crept down the stairs and found you and dad in the living room. He pulled you in for a kiss and I started to cry. You were by my side in seconds, wrapping me in your arms. It didn't make sense to my eight-year-old brain. I thought you were there to kiss me, not dad.

"You spent Christmas with us that year. You and dad had been together for almost a year, that I knew of. I crawled up onto your lap and wrapped my arms around your neck after I had opened the Star Wars Jedi outfit you had gotten me. I asked you if I could call you mom. You started to cry. I didn't understand why. I thought I had done something wrong.

"You just hugged me for awhile before dad asked me to move. He pulled you to your feet and knelt down in front of you. He presented you with the most amazing ring I've ever seen and asked you to marry him. You said yes. Dad kissed you then you turned back towards me and picked me up. I was crying. You hadn't answered my question. I didn't understand what dad had asked you. You said you'd love for me to call you mom as you wiped away my tears.

"It was the best Christmas ever. I can't remember Christmases with my real mom. There's photos that dads given me, and I'll treasure them forever. But for most of my life, you're the only mother I've ever known," he said to the sheets, only looking at her as he finished talking.

"Charlie…"

"Do you know my dad in this reality?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, I do," she nodded, feeling a connection starting to form with her alternate reality step-son.

"But you don't know me," he said sadly, looking away from her.

"Charlie…"

"So what am I doing in this reality?"

"You…" she stopped, glancing around the room when she heard Keller walk over to them.

"I have the results. He's definitely the son of General O'Neill," she whispered to Sam as she handed her the tablet computer.

"Thank you," Sam smiled and glanced over the data.

"So?" he pressed softly, his gaze still on his hands.

"You are who you say you are apparently," she said just as softly. He nodded.

"So what am I doing in this reality?" he asked again. He looked towards her when she didn't answer. "Mom?" he said when she continued to stare at the tablet in front of her.

"You… died, a year before I met your dad," she said barely above a whisper, but she knew he had heard her.

"Dead? I'm dead?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"My mom?"

"Alive."

"So they're still together?" he asked, not sure if he was hopeful or not.

"No, they divorced. Your dad went through a really tough time after it happened. It wasn't fair on either of them."

"When?" he took a deep breath. "How old was I?"

"Eight, almost nine," she replied, her eyes raising to meet his.

"So…. What are you to dad in this reality? His friend? I've watched the two of you be in love since I was eight. But I understand that things are different here."

"I'll leave you to rest," she said as she stood up and moved the chair back to where it had been, avoiding his question. She didn't want to reveal too much to the apparent son of her husband. There was far too much they didn't know.

She smiled at him before turning around and leaving the infirmary, informing the guards that he wasn't to leave.

She stopped dead in her tracks once she got round the corner.

Oh God…

She had to tell Jack… What was she going to tell him? How was she going to tell him?

**EXCUSE ME?**

"Dial Earth," she said as she came to a stand still beside Chuck, the gate technician on duty.

"Yes ma'am," he said as he started to press the symbols on the control panel.

The wormhole established before them. Sam never tired of seeing it. After a few seconds Sam heard a familiar voice.

"Atlantis," General Hank Landry's voice said cheerfully.

"General," Sam smiled.

"Good to hear your voice Colonel. I trust everything is well on your end?"

"For the most part, yes Sir. I need you to send a message to General O'Neill for me," she said, getting straight to the point. She knew she would have to get it over with as soon as possible, before she lost her nerve.

"Of course Colonel," Landry replied. Sam could hear the smile in his voice. General Landry was one of the few people who knew about her marriage to Jack. "What's your message?"

They had decided early on that they wouldn't be keeping their relationship a secret. But they wouldn't be broadcasting it either.

"I need you to get him to Atlantis, as soon as possible. It's very important. Tell him to prepare himself for anything."

"Is everything alright Colonel?" Landry asked, worry creeping its way into his voice.

"I'll explain everything in my report Sir. But for now, this is a need-to-know situation."

"I'll send the message. Take care of that team of yours Colonel. Landry out."

The wormhole disengaged. Sam felt her stomach tighten. She knew things were starting to get out of control.

**EXCUSE ME?**

Jack stared at the forms in front of him, his face supported by his hand. He couldn't concentrate. He missed his wife. He longed to hold her, to kiss her, to run his fingers through her long hair.

It had been ten weeks since he had said goodbye to her. Ten weeks of going to bed alone. Ten weeks of waking up alone. Ten weeks of cooking for one. Ten weeks of complete loneliness.

He sighed. He was whipped and he knew it.

"General?" a voice said from his open doorway.

"Yes Marnie?" he asked his assistant, looking up to see her standing nervously under the door frame. She had only been his assistant for a week and was still incredibly nervous around the two star General.

"A message from General Landry at the SGC has just come through for you."

He held out his hand for the sheet of paper she held. Quickly, she made her way over to him and handed him the slip of folded paper.

His eyes skimmed the note quickly. He couldn't help but smile at the words.

Jack.

You're required on Atlantis. Nothing dangerous.

Hank.

p.s. Prepare yourself - if I could tell you more, I would.

"I'm apparently required on Atlantis," he said.

"Yes Sir," she nodded.

"Take the rest of the day off," he told her as he stood up and put on his jacket.

"But Sir I still have-"

"Finish what you're doing and take the rest of the day off," he said as he began walking out of the room.

"Yes Sir."

**EXCUSE ME?**

It was late by the time he got to Atlantis. She was waiting by the 'gate for him, a serious but worried expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, trying not to reach out to touch her.

"We need to talk. Let's go to my quarters," she said as she turned around and walked away.

"Sam?" he asked as soon as the door of her quarters had closed. His stomach had fallen out of him the second she had told him they needed to talk. His mind was reeling. Was she having second thoughts about him?

"Sit down," she said as she took his hand and led him over to her bed.

"What?" he asked as he sat down beside her, his arm around her shoulder, his body heat mingling with hers.

"There's no easy way to say this," she started, her voice soft and scared.

"Say what? Sam, you're scaring me here. What's happened?"

"Jack…" she tried, her eyes filling with tears.

He cupped her face in his hands and wiped away the few tears that escaped. He bent his head towards her and kissed her softly.

"Sam, please," he whispered.

"We found another mirror," she felt him stiffen at her words. "We never used it. But someone came through…"

"Who?" he felt his gut twist. He had no idea what to expect.

"We've done scans and blood tests. Apparently he is who he say's he is-"

"Sam!" he cut her off with her name. He kissed her again before looking her in the eyes. He saw the pain there. He wished he could take it away. "Dad?"

He knew she still missed her father terribly. Especially on their wedding day. She had wanted nothing more than for him to walk her down the aisle. General Hammond had proudly filled in, but he knew it wasn't the same.

"No," she shook her head.

"Me?" he watched her shake her head again. "Kawalsky? Daniel? Teal'c?" she shook her head at every name he mentioned. "Then who?"

"Charlie," she breathed as she looked him in the eyes. She saw his eyes widen in shock. She saw the emotions flash across them. Shock, pain, disbelief, anger.

He froze. His face and eyes held no emotion. Sam felt himself distancing himself from her. He removed his arm from around her shoulder and moved away from her.

Sam watched him move. She had never felt so alone.


	4. 4

"M… My Charlie?" he stammered, his voice wavering. Sam could hear the emotion in his words. He had no idea how to feel.

"Yes," she said, wanting nothing more than to hold him, to take his pain away.

"He's okay?" he turned his head to look at her. She bit back a sob at the pain in his eyes.

"A little banged up, but apart from that yeah, he's fine, he's in the infirmary," she nodded, clutching her duvet in her hands.

"Have you spoken to him?" his voice almost broke as he spoke the words.

"He woke me up. I'm not base commander in his reality apparently. He got a bit of a shock."

"He knows you in his reality?"

"Yeah," she laughed softly. "He calls me mom."

"Mom?" he asked as he stood up and started to pace the room.

"Sarah died when he was five, a car crash. We met when he was eight, then got married. He knows that he's not alive in this reality. I explained a few things. He doesn't know we're married though."

"My Charlie?" he asked again.

"Yes, Jack, your Charlie, all grown up," she tried to smile. She had no idea how Charlie being in their reality would change things.

"I… I don't think I can do this," he said as he ran his hands through his steadily greying hair, before giving her a pained look. "I'm sorry."

Tears fell from Sam's eyes as she watched him leave her quarters. She had never loved and lost a child. She had no idea what he was going through. She didn't want to put herself in his shoes.

She knew her husband was a man who cared and felt deeply. Something that he kept close to his chest. Only people who really knew him knew that. To others he seemed heartless and arrogant. But Sam knew her husband. She knew how capable he was of losing himself to his grief and depression.

She didn't follow him. She knew that it would only make matters worse. She knew he would come back when he was ready and not before. Despite the fact that she knew him better than almost anyone, she had no idea where he would go. Or what he would do.

She didn't know if he would stay on base, or go back home.

He needed stability. And he thought he'd had that. His son had been dead for almost twelve years, and for his second wife to tell him that his son, albeit from another reality, was alive was something he couldn't comprehend.

Sam glanced at her watch. It was late and she was exhausted, physically, mentally and emotionally. Sniffing back some of her tears, she readied herself for bed.

Despite all of the thoughts and questions rolling around in her head she fell asleep as soon as her head hit her pillow, one arm stretched over the bed to where her husband would normally be when they were together.

EXCUSE ME?

Jack found himself on the other side of the city. How he'd gotten there, he didn't know. He sucked in a shaky breath as he backed up against the wall. He slid down it and brought his knees up to his chest. Blinking back the tears, he looked out over the water surrounding the city.

Somehow he had made it to a balcony. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He felt his world crumble around him.

He stared at the inky blackness of the water in the dark night. It was hard to tell where the water ended and the sky began.

His son was alive…

Hank had told him to prepare for anything and everything. He hadn't prepared himself for an alternate reality's version of his son to be a part of the anything and everything.

He had no idea what to do. He wanted to see him. To talk to him. To hold him. But he didn't. He knew it would be painful, the pain still fresh in his mind, even after all of those years.

He could still hear that gunshot as if it had happened not seconds before. He could still feel the panic in his chest as he rushed his heavily bleeding son to the hospital. He could still hear the surgeons voice. I'm sorry… we did everything we could…

He could still see his son's coffin being lowered into the ground. He could still feel Sarah in his arms as she cried. He could still hear everyone's words of condolence as they headed out of the cemetery. I'm sorry Jack…

He still regretted pushing Sarah away. She deserved more than that. She deserved better than that. He hated himself for how cold he was towards her. He had tried, but in the end it hadn't worked. They divorced.

He still loved her, but he wasn't in love with her, not anymore. He still loved her, but not like the way he loved Sam.

He couldn't imagine his life without Sam in it. She made him a better person, just by being there. He didn't want to disappoint her. She made him happy. Something he hadn't been for a long time. Just the thought of her made him smile. He knew he would be lost without her.

And he had pushed her away. Distanced himself from her. The one thing he had promised himself he would never do, no matter the situation. His head snapped up when he had realised what he had done to her.

He had left her alone in her quarters as she cried for him; for the pain he was in. He cursed himself as he slowly began to stand. His knees protesting at having stayed in the position for too long. He had no idea how long he had sat there. All he knew was that he had to get back to his wife, before he completely shut her out.

They had been through far too much together over the years since they had first met to let an alternate reality's Charlie mess things up. He wouldn't allow it. He had become more vocal with his feelings since he married her. He didn't want her to feel isolated like Sarah had.

She meant to much to him to do that…

As quickly as his protesting knees would carry him, he made his way back across the city. He hadn't realised he had walked so far. It took him half an hour to reach his wife's door.

It opened for him automatically. Somehow the city knew who he was and let him in.

He found her under the covers with one arm on his side of the bed. His heart ached at the sight before him. He couldn't believe he had pushed her away. He had no idea how long he had been gone, but he knew that from the second he walked out of that door it had been too long.

He had missed her. His arms ached to hold her. His mouth ached to kiss her. He sighed as he walked around to the free side of the bed. As quietly as he could he stripped himself of his uniform.

He looked down at his wife's sleeping face. Even while sleeping she still looked worried. He knew she was worried about him. He hated causing her pain, and that was exactly what he had done.

He crawled into bed beside her and pulled her to him. He felt her breathing change instantly. Even on Atlantis she slept like she did in the field, alert, completely different to how she slept at home. Some mornings at home he found it impossible to wake her.

"Jack," she whispered as she opened her eyes to look at him in the increasing darkness.

"Sam," he said as he traced her face with his fingers, before he gently grazed her lips with his. He could feel the fresh tears on her face.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this," she whispered. "I couldn't keep this from you. I'm sorry."

"Shh," he said as he placed a finger over her lips. "I'm glad you told me. There's no need to apologise. I should be apologising to you."

"What for?" she asked, her brows furrowing.

"Shutting you out earlier. You didn't deserve that. And for that. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I know this must be hard."

"It's not okay. I made a promise to myself when we got together, that I would never do that to you. And I have. That's unforgivable."

"These aren't normal circumstance Jack," she told him as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"When have we ever had normal circumstances?" he smirked, causing her to laugh.

"I've missed you," she whispered softly, looking him deep in his eyes.

"Not as much as I've missed you," he said before leaning in for a kiss.

She moaned softly into his mouth as his tongue met hers. She felt one of his hands move from her face to her waist, pulling her closer to him. She hadn't realised how much she had missed him until he kissed her properly. She held onto his shoulders as he pulled away slightly.

He smirked at her again when he realised what she was wearing.

"I wondered where this shirt had disappeared to," he said as he ran a hand down her arm. "I've been looking for it everywhere."

"I like it," she smiled. "It's comfy. Do you mind?"

"No," he shook his head. "It looks better on you anyway."

"Have you decided what you're going to do?"

"No," he admitted, knowing exactly what she was on about. "I want to go. But I don't. He's not my Charlie. But he is. What do you think I should do?"

"Go to your son, Jack," she whispered, a smile appearing on her face. "You'll be proud of him. He's a handsome young man."

"Should I be worried?" he teased.

"No. You're pretty safe," she laughed.

"My son," he breathed. "Alive."

"Yes," she smiled brightly at him. "We've done every test we can think of. They all say he is Charlie O'Neill."

"Will you come with me?" he asked as he stood up and pulled her to her feet.

"Sure," she nodded, happy but slightly surprised that he wanted to include her.

"Mom, huh?" he asked as he reached for his clothes.

"Apparently," she replied, looking over to see his reaction. He smiled softly at her.

They dressed as quickly as they could. Jack scared that he would change his mind if he didn't go to the infirmary straight away.

They walked slowly down the deserted halls, their footsteps the only noise disturbing the city.

Jack stopped a few times on the way, his eyes darting around, looking for the nearest exit to the nightmare like situation he found himself in. He nearly fled back to this wife's quarters several times. Sam being the only thing to keep him grounded and on the path to the infirmary.

He grasped her hand as they closed the distance to their destination. He didn't care who saw. He laced his fingers through hers. He needed the strength. It wasn't every day you got to meet and speak to your dead son.

Sam patiently walked with him. She didn't mind at how often they stopped. Every time he looked around, looking for a way out, she squeezed his hand, reminding him that she was there with him.

He smiled gratefully at her as they stopped outside of the infirmary doors. Jack took a deep breath as he looked at his wife. She smiled encouragingly at him. He nodded and stepped up to the closed door. It opened for him instantly.

He took a few steps into the room, the woman he loved more than life itself by his side. His eyes scanned the room. They landed on a bed in the corner. They young man was on his back, staring at the ceiling lost in his own thoughts.

"Charlie," Jack whispered, then swallowed hard. It really was him.


End file.
